


The Old Quarter

by elliemoran



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Birds, Ereri Secret Santa 2017, M/M, Suspense, Vampires
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-08
Updated: 2018-04-15
Packaged: 2019-03-02 03:31:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 18,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13309512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elliemoran/pseuds/elliemoran
Summary: It seemed like a good idea in the warmth of his apartment, but now that he's lost in the cold and dark maze that is Shinganshina's Old Quarter, Eren is starting to think maybe coming out here wasn't such a great plan after all.Especially since he's pretty sure he's not alone.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [nayawata](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=nayawata).



> This is for @nayawata on tumblr, for the ererievents secret santa exchange 2017 :)

Eren’s footsteps echoed off the tightly packed buildings that lined the dark and twisting lanes of Shinganshina’s Old Quarter. Over his head, the old walls seemed to lean in towards each other, blocking out what little light the moonless night sky might have offered.

Even the sound of his own breathing seemed loud – too loud – against the otherwise absolute silence surrounding him.

He almost missed the whistle of the icy winter winds that had been – right up until they abruptly died off a couple of blocks back - making him wish he’d thrown on more than an old sweatshirt over the thin tee and worn jeans he’d been wearing when Hanji had convinced him this was a good idea, and that he should go _right away_.

And now he was cold, epically lost, and a little freaked out.

Slowly, his feet came to a halt. He bit his lip, staring into the inky darkness ahead, and then glanced quickly around at the silent storefronts on either side of him.  

This wouldn’t usually have been all that big a deal - the dark had never scared him, particularly, and he could see well enough to get by. What was _really_ bothering him was that, despite the complete silence and stillness around him, he just couldn’t seem to shake the feeling that he wasn’t alone.

This part of town had been built by people who’d never imagined things like electricity, vehicles wider than a horse drawn carriage, or mobile phones with GPS, and nothing much had noticeably changed over the past few centuries. These days, the Old Quarter was a maze of narrow walking streets, packed with tiny shops and quiet houses, all tucked away behind Shingnashina’s brightly lit city center with its clubs, bars and restaurants, and its shiny new multi-story mall.

And yet, Eren knew the businesses out here did pretty well. This part of town was – by all accounts - usually packed with tourists and shoppers during the day.   

Not now, of course. No self-respecting pedestrian would think of coming out here at half past midnight on a Tuesday night. And no self-respecting shop would think of being open.

And yet, one was. Supposedly. If he could just find it.

Eren glanced down at the scribbled slip of paper in his hand.

_Ackerman’s place, Tunnbridge Lane, big black door. Creepy. Can’t miss it._

What the hell had made him think this was a good idea? He’d been grasping at straws.

But if it worked out, it would solve all his problems. Or a few of the larger ones, anyway.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped closer to the store front nearest him. The lack of light didn’t keep him from clearly making out the numbers above the door, but that wasn’t all that helpful. He _thought_ he was on Tunnbridge Lane, but that worn signpost he’d followed six or seven blocks back could have been meant for any one of three streets leading off from the intersection.

He’d only picked this one because it seemed the best lit.  Clearly, he’d been wrong.

He let out a long sigh, and reached into his pocket for his phone. The GPS was of no use in this part of town – he’d tried – but he could at least call Hanji and ask for better directions.  

A glow of light at the edge of his vision had his hand going still. He turned his head, squinted, and then quickly walked back the way he’d come.

He hadn’t noticed when he’d walked by the first time, and even now, following the faint light, he almost missed it again – a gap between two of the buildings.

Edging around the trash can half blocking the entrance, Eren stared down the length of a long, narrow alleyway.  The blank, windowless walls on either side bowed out a little and some kind of mist seemed to be hanging in the air, making it hard to see much of the other end. If he squinted, he could just make out the top of a single, brightly shining, streetlamp.

A steetlight meant there was, most likely, another street at the end of the alley, and maybe that street would be Tunnbridge Lane.

Or he might get even more lost.

Eren glanced back into the shadows behind him, darker now that he had the light ahead to compare. There was no sign of movement, no noise, and yet he still felt eyes watching him.

Without hesitation, he turned and walked into the long, narrow alleyway.

It wasn’t until he was about halfway through that Eren heard the first footstep behind him.  He was almost relieved when he stopped, looked over his shoulder – at least he’d have a face to attach to the feeling.

A soft gust of wind rushed past him, carrying a hint of cold rain and dispersing most of the lingering mist. The alleyway was completely empty.  

One slow blink later, Eren turned back around and carried on walking.

When he heard another step, and another, he walked faster. The pace behind him was a little off, somehow. He couldn’t figure out how fast the other person was going, or how close behind him the footsteps were.

He’d almost reached the far end of the alley, could clearly see the cobblestones in the street ahead of him, when he heard something that sounded remarkably like his name.  Almost without thinking he stopped again, turned back around.

“Who’s there?”

His eyes studied every inch of brick, stone, and wall, the light at his back highlighting the complete absence of anyone.

A long beat of silence passed, and then _someone_ laughed.

Eren ran.

His feet thudded over cobbled stone. He was too focused on getting away to take in much detail, but could tell the new street was wider, much better lit than the one he’d left. And best of all, directly ahead of him, he saw a pair of narrow, lighted shop windows on either side of a big, black, door.

He didn’t bother to glance behind him as he dove across the street, yanked open the door and slammed it shut behind him.

He stood, gripping the door handle, trying to catch his breath, listening for any sound whoever it was had come after him.

“Who the hell are you?”

The hard voice had Eren jumping, though he didn’t release his white knuckle grip on the door. He looked up, for the first time registering the man standing in the middle of the room.

Black hair, pale, pale skin, and what might have been a strikingly beautiful face if it hadn’t been set into a deep scowl. The man took a step in his direction, and Eren might have tried to back up if he’d had anywhere to go. He was almost petite, a good foot or more shorter than Eren, and yet gave off the most threatening aura. 

“You don’t want to try stealing from me.”

Eren’s eyes widened, and he shook his head urgently. “No, no. I’m sorry. I just…I thought someone was following me.” He let go of the door, taking a deliberate step to the side so he wasn’t blocking it anymore. “This was the first place I saw so I…”

His words trailed off as he suddenly realized where he must be. He glanced back at the door. Big and black. And around at the small waiting room they stood in, full of dark woods, black leather couches, and deep velvet curtains.

It could definitely, firmly, qualify as creepy. 

“Ah, this wouldn’t happen to be Ackerman’s Photography, would it?”

One thin eyebrow arched up. “Yes.”

“So that means you must be…Levi Ackerman?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, good.” No, wait. Not good. This plan was _so_ not going to work. _This_ Levi would see through him in an instant. He’d expected someone more… _creaky_. From Hanji’s description he’d expected an eccentric, grey-haired old man.“I was trying to find you, this place. But then I heard someone following me and-”

A loud clanking sound, somewhere above his head, made Eren jump. He whirled around, his arms up and ready to defend.

And then he let them drop, watching with amazement as a large black bird ducked in through what looked like the avian equivalent of a cat-flap.

The bird – a raven, Eren thought, as he’d never seen a crow with quite such a beaked nose, or anything like this one’s size - hopped onto the end of the small platform set into the wall, and then dove down to a stand, clearly meant for its use on the counter next to Levi.

And then both bird and man stood, or perched, studying Eren, while Eren started to wonder if this was all actually a dream.

It was possible. Levi, now that he’d stopped frowning, looked a little unreal. His almost delicately beautiful features were only enhanced by the pure white of his shirt and the starkly plain black suit he wore. His fitted pants were tucked into low, heeled boots, each embroidered with a silver snake that twisted around his calves.

And then there was that bird.

As if it knew his thoughts, the raven looked Eren straight in the eye, opened its beak, and let out an oddly distinct sound. Not quite a bird call, but rather a short, low cluck that might, in an echoing alleyway, sound something like a footstep.

Eren’s mouth fell open.

The raven flapped its wings, let out a rasping call that this time sounded remarkably like a laugh.  A short, harsh laugh, just like the one Eren had heard in that same alleyway.

“No way. That was you?”

Cackling, the bird hopped off the stand, and stepped to the edge of the counter until he could nudge at Levi’s arm. Without a word, Levi pulled a small plastic bag from his pocket, picked out a fat seed, and held it out in the palm of his hand. He still said nothing as the bird carefully took the seed, and then dropped off the edge of the counter and flapped across to a tall stand that took up the entirety of one corner of the room. 

Eren turned wide eyes back to Levi. “Your bird-”

“He’s not mine.” Levi’s voice was abrupt.

Almost against his will, Eren’s eyes flicked down to the hand currently tucking away the bag of seeds.

Levi followed Eren’s gaze, and then scowled. “He’s not mine.” He repeated, firmly. “He just won’t leave.”

Eren only just restrained himself from glancing back at the convenient, clearly custom-built bird-flap above the door. “What’s his name?”

“Gix.” Levi spoke quickly, and then scowled.

Eren didn’t dare smile, but he wanted to.

He must not have hidden his amusement well enough, as Levi’s expression was a little suspicious when he spoke again. “You said you were looking for me?”

“Oh, right.” Distracted, Eren patted at his pocket, and then pulled out the scrap of paper with the useless address, and a folded envelope. He held out the envelope to Levi. “This is from Hanji. I’m Eren.”

Levi stared at the envelope for a long second, before reluctantly taking it from Eren. He didn’t open it, but held between two fingers as he looked back up at Eren. “Why.”

It really hadn’t sounded like a question. Eren blinked. “Why?”

“Why did you come here?”

Eren opened his mouth, and then closed it again. He couldn’t really think of a plausible lie, and the truth was impossible.

But maybe blunt honesty, to a point, would be ok. “I kind of need a job, really quickly, because I lost my last job a couple weeks ago and I have to pay rent yesterday. But it has to be at night, because I can only work nights, with time to do my homework, and there have to be other people around but sometimes I’m bad with people so it needs to be someplace where it doesn’t matter if I get mad at customers and Hanji said you might actually _like_ that, because you’re even more terrible with people so…”

He saw Levi’s eyes narrpw at that, and flinched a little, internally. _Less blunt honesty, okay_. “Um. I’m good at cleaning, because those are pretty much the only jobs I’ve ever managed to keep for long. Hanji said I should tell you that, specifically.”

“Why do you have to have other people around?”

 _Shit._ He hadn’t meant to mention that part. “I, uh, get lonely?” And of course that sounded not at all convincing.

But Levi just eyed him for another long second, and then, without a word, turned and walked away.

Eren stared after his retreating back as he stepped through the heavy black velvet curtains separating the waiting area from the rest of the building. He thought he heard paper ripping, and hoped it was Levi opening the envelope and not shredding it.

He’d give it a half hour. If Levi didn’t come back, he’d head home.

Even the thought made his stomach sink. He glanced around. The room, despite its slightly disturbing atmosphere, felt oddly welcoming. Framed photographs hung on the walls, lighted by spotlights set into the ceiling, leaving warm, comfortable shadows in the rest of the room.

Eren could already imagine himself setting up his computer behind that long, cherry wood counter, or stretching out on the soft leather couches. In between doing whatever other work Levi needed, of course. 

But he liked it here, already. Plus, for some reason, he was a little curious about Levi.

Gix let out a snort. 

Pulled from his thoughts, Eren looked over his shoulder and found the bird watching him. 

Evidently no longer interested now that he had Eren’s attention, Gix turned back to a stuffed animal – maybe a bear –  tied to one of the pegs of his massive stand, and started enthusiastically tearing the thing apart.

As Gix’s growls filled the room, Eren had to shake his head at the irony of the situation. This was the type of place he’d usually avoid. He’d never have felt safe letting anyone spot him anywhere this…gothic, but now he was starting to think that had been a mistake.

After all, anyone seeing him next to Levi would never think _he_ was a vampire.

 

\--

 

“What the hell are you trying to do here, Hanji?”

Hanji laughed. “I knew you wouldn’t be able to resist him.”

Levi scowled, shifting in the office chair he used when he had to do what paperwork he couldn’t avoid. “I can resist him just fine. That’s why I’m calling. What are you up to?”

“Nothing, nothing.” Hanji’s voice was light, innocent, and completely unbelievable. “Just calling in a favor. Eren’s one of my neighbors, I like him, and he needs a job. He can be your receptionist.”

“I don’t need a receptionist. That last one nearly got me arrested.”

“Sure you do. And Eren is nothing like that…whatever that was. He probably wouldn’t even call the cops if he found you _actually_ sacrificing someone, and not just doing a fancy photoshoot.”

“Hanji, I’m doing fine without anyone else here, I don’t need him.”

She snorted. “When was the last time you checked your voicemail? And before you say ‘no one important ever leaves a voicemail’, when was the last time you had a full night of work scheduled, and everyone turned up on time?”

Levi rubbed at his forehead. “I still don’t need-”

“And when did you last do your accounts?”

“I’ll do them later. Besides, I’m not having some kid do my accounts.”

“Uh huh. He’s studying to be an accountant, by the way.”

“He’s not touching my accounts.”

“Fine. He can clean so you have more time to do them.”

“I like cleaning. It keeps things from smelling. You should try it sometimes.”

Hanji just laughed, unoffended. “Don’t worry. I just _know_ you’ll fall in lo-” She cut herself off with a loud cough, and then continued. “I just know you’ll like him. Give him a chance.”

“What are you planning, Hanji?”

“Oh, look. I gotta go.”

“Hanji.”

“Levi. Just give him a job”

Sighing, Levi rubbed at the back of his neck. “Fine. But you owe me.”

“Uh-huh.” Hanji was silent for a long second, and then let out a loud peal of laughter. “But I’m pretty sure you’re going to owe me for this one, in the end.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hnnngh so this is no longer a one-shot (oops)
> 
> It MAY have been more obvious than I'd intended, but this story was originally a great deal longer than the first chapter, but I got ill the week before the Secret Santa exchange and had to chop it down a great deal to have it done in time 
> 
> So I've made minor alterations to the first chapter, here is the second, and I figure two more (edit: yeah, this clearly didn't end up being four chapters :) )
> 
> Thank you to the epic commenters on the first chapter, who encouraged me to get my butt in gear and get it done :)

Levi stepped back through the curtains and found Eren standing, transfixed, barely a foot away from one of the framed prints he’d hung on the wall. He didn’t seem to notice Levi, and Levi took a moment to study him, without the distractions of the quick, intense emotions that flashed so clearly over his expressive face.

Even now, standing still, with his hands shoved in the pockets of his jeans, Eren didn’t give off the impression of being at rest. He stood balanced on the balls of his feet, the thick slashes of his eyebrows pulled into a slight frown. His slightly too long brown hair looked as if he’d just raked his fingers through it, leaving it going in every which direction.

His skin was a deep bronze, and Levi wondered if the reason he had to work nights was because he spent his days playing in the sun. And he was tall, though Levi had learned not to hold that against people. Most of the time.

His shoulders were just starting to bulk out, his torso to deepen, and Levi thought he must be in his early twenties, or close to it.

He could ask, but he wasn’t going to.

The kid’d be gone in a day or so, anyway.

But he found himself _wanting_ to ask, and that irritated him.

“This is from the same place as that photo in Hanji’s apartment, isn’t it?” Eren’s eyes seemed to sparkle as he glanced over at Levi.

Levi turned to look at the image, a little surprised Eren had noticed. Both had been taken in different seasons, with vastly different lighting. The old ruined walls that surrounded Shinganshina were some of Levi’s favorite places to photograph, but that small section was hard enough to reach that he’d only made the hike a couple times. “Yes.”

“I’ve spent so long staring at that other one, I feel like I’ve been there. I even talked Hanji into staking it the last few times we played poker.” Eren grinned, and Levi blinked at the quick change of expression. “She always wins in the end, though.”

“Never play poker with Hanji if you care about winning. You won’t.”

“I almost beat her, once.”

Levi snorted. “I doubt that. She’d have to be shit-faced drunk before anyone else would even have a chance, and I still wouldn’t bet against her.”

“Uh huh,” Eren laughed. “That’s basically what happened. She had a hangover for three days afterwards, but she still cleaned us all out on the last hand before she passed out.”

Levi turned his head to scowl at the photo, somehow finding it hard to look at the brightness that was Eren’s laughing face. “So Hanji said you want a job?”

He heard Eren draw in a quick breath. “Yes. Definitely.”

“Fine. We’re open from midnight to five AM, every night, unless I have an outside shoot. If there’s someone who can’t come at night, you can schedule them for December 25th.”

Eren blinked at him. “December 25th?”

“Yeah. That’s the only day we’re open for paying clients.” Levi waited for Eren to ask why, or make some comment about how ‘he must like Christmas’.

But Eren just nodded. “Okay. But I can’t work days, so I won’t be able to be here.”

“Fine.” There was no way Levi would ask why. He probably had a girlfriend, or something.

And why that thought aggravated him so much, he didn’t know.

“You’ll clean this room, and the guest bathroom. If I don’t have enough time between clients I might ask you to help me clean the studio. _If_ you’re good enough. Otherwise don’t touch anything. Upstairs is my apartment, stay out. My darkroom is off of the studio. _Never_ go in there.”

Eren’s eyes widened. “A darkroom. Does that mean you still use film cameras?”

“I use both. Film and digital.”

“Wow.” And yet again, Eren’s entire face emanated an almost blinding light as he beamed happily at Levi.  “No wonder you take such brilliant photographs.”

“I’ll show you where I keep the cleaning supplies.”

It was the only thing Levi could come up with to say in response.

 

\--

 

Levi’s studio impressed the hell out of Eren. The room must have once been the interior of a two story house, but the floors and attic had been knocked out, leaving a vast open space from floor to roof, only filled with structural beams and an intricate lighting rig that Eren suspected Hanji had designed.

When he asked, Levi scowled up at it before nodding. “I haven’t had to hire a single assistant since we put the thing in.” He stared at it for a second longer, and then, frowning, turned to study Eren.  “It doesn’t make me owe her for you, though.”

“I..what?”

With a snort, Levi turned back to the supply cupboard he’d been showing Eren, a second before they heard a loud caw from Gix.

Eren was a step behind Levi as they walked back into the waiting room. Gix sat where they’d left him, feathers slightly ruffled, staring at a large, heavily tattooed man in ripped jeans and a jacket that strained over his impressively deep chest and thick arms, standing with his back pressed against the wall as far away from the bird as he could get. He and Gix were eyeing each other with equal measures of distrust and dislike.

He didn’t take his eyes off of the raven as he spoke to Levi. “I’m a little early.”

“It’s fine, Alan. Is that the only outfit you brought with you?”

“Huh?” Alan finally broke eye contact with Gix, glancing down at his clothes. “Yeah? I came straight from work.”

Eren watched, fascinated, as Levi studied the man from top to bottom with narrowed eyes. After a long minute, he finally spoke. “Fine. That’ll work. Go on back.”

Alan nodded, and then - making a wide circle around the raven, started towards the black curtains. He came to a halt, scowling, as he finally registered Eren’s presence.

“Who’re you?”

Despite himself, Eren bristled at the man’s tone. “None of your business.”

Clearly displeased, Alan stepped closer, towering over Eren. “Lemme rephrase. Who _the fuck_ are you?”

“None of your _fucking_ business. Asshole.” 

Alan took a deliberate step forward, and then another, until Eren’s nose was about a millimeter from the center of his remarkably broad chest.

Across the room, Gix cackled loudly, and Alan jumped a foot off the ground – breaking both his tough façade, and the tension in the room.

“He’s my new receptionist.” At the sound of Levi’s voice, Eren winced, finally remembering that his new boss might have a problem with him getting into a fight with the very first person he met.

And yet, when he glanced at Levi’s face he couldn’t see any signs of annoyance. His expression was oddly…pleased?

Alan, however, gaped at Levi. “Receptionist?” He swung his head around to Eren, studying him. “He better not call the cops on you, like that last one.”

“He won’t.” Levi sounded so certain that Eren was a little flattered, though he realized the bar they’d just set him over probably wasn’t all that high. “Go on back, I’ll be there in a minute.”

As Alan disappeared through the curtains, Levi pulled a phone out of his pocket, and tossed it into Eren’s hands. “Here. My schedule and the numbers for my regular models are in there. Answer any calls, tell anyone asking that we’re booked up and they can’t have an appointment.”

“What, all of them?”

“No. But only book the good ones.” Levi turned to go.

Eren shook his head, not sure he understood, but since Levi was still walking away decided to save the rest of his questions until later. “What should I do about personal calls?”

“That’d be Hanji. Just tell her no, and hang up.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's 2AM and I should be asleep, but I had a migraine and slept all day so now I'm wiiiide awake. So here. A chapter : )

There was something…strange about his new receptionist.

Standing in his darkroom, Levi leaned against the side of the deep butler’s sink, rinsing the prints he’d just finished developing. His hands knew what they were doing, luckily, as his mind was firmly occupied in thinking about the young man, badly in need of a haircut, currently sitting in his waiting room.

As it had been for most of the last two weeks.

For the first few nights, Levi had been sure the kid would just stop turning up. Each day, he’d unlock the front door a couple minutes before midnight, expecting to find an empty street. And each day, he’d find Eren.

Waiting for him.

Levi figured he knew himself well enough, by now. He didn’t get along with people. He _liked_ being alone, he was used to it. People were irritating, and he never really knew how to deal with the things they said and expected from him.

And yet, he liked being around Eren.

He even cleaned decently well. Not at first, of course, and Levi hadn’t held back in letting him know his technique sucked. Eren might have known how to clean, if you had no standards, but if he planned on cleaning anyplace Levi had to occupy he’d have to do it right.

After one of the assistants Erwin and Hanji had pressed on him had literally run away, sobbing, Levi had decided he’d just do it all himself. But when Hanji had told him to have Eren clean, he’d figured he had nothing to lose, since hiring Eren was a favor to her, anyway. If the kid quit it wasn’t going to be his fault.

And then not only had Eren had improved quickly, he also, somehow, seemed to have no problem with Levi teaching him the correct methods to do things. He never even bristled when Levi corrected him, the way he did when any of Levi’s clients or models tried anything with him.

On that front, Levi had to admit he could see why someone would think Eren wasn't good with people.  

And yet, he _was_.

It was the strangest thing. Even the ones who started out hating Eren’s guts warmed up to him, if they were around him long enough. For the last week, Alan had stopped by almost every night, bringing Eren samples of his homemade cookies and cupcakes.  Levi hadn’t even known he liked to bake.

And then there was Eren’s effect on Maria Fritz, one of Levi’s models. She had the most remarkable eyes, but it usually took him several hours before he could get her comfortable enough to even look in his direction. She had a hard time relaxing, and he rarely got more than a couple shots he could use, every time he worked with her.

She’d walked into the studio for her first shoot after Eren was hired, _laughing_. She’d been so relaxed Levi had cancelled his next client and kept her going until past four in the morning – and then he’d walked out into the lobby a half hour later and found her sitting at the counter beside Eren, showing him photos of her dogs.

It wasn’t like the kid was overtly friendly, but people just seemed to slowly gravitate towards him.

And his effect on animals was even more bizarre. Levi had a few he invited in as models, and since the majority of his paying clients were pet owners he’d gotten relatively skilled at dealing with dogs, cats, turtles, birds, lizards, fish, porcupines, pigs, goats, chickens, snakes, spiders, and whatever else people could think of inviting into their homes.

But when Eren was around, they seemed far more interested in him than any other human in the room.  Some seemed a little afraid of him, others acted as if he was their version of catnip. None ever ignored him, and most did whatever he told them to do. It was uncanny.  

Even Gix seemed extraordinarily fascinated by Eren, though he, of course, did not follow his directions. At all.  

As Levi clipped the last of the photos onto the cords he’d had strung over the sink, he wondered if he should have Eren start helping in the studio with the more difficult animals.

The thought made his hands go still. He frowned at the wall, thinking. He hadn’t had an assistant in years, and he wasn’t sure he wanted one, let alone someone that he was already having a hard time not thinking about when he should be working.  

But even with the lighting completely controlled, and most of the backgrounds he used set up so he could operate them alone, he did sometimes feel the lack of hands. Especially when he had a pack of pet mice running around.

He shook his head, and firmly pushed away thoughts of Eren as he turned to put the chemicals away.

The kid was useful, and that was all that he should care about. Levi hadn’t had to answer the phone in two weeks, and his schedule had been running smoothly. There was nothing else to it.

Pressing the cabinet doors shut with a firm click, Levi turned on his heel and headed out to the shower.

 

\--

Eren was sitting at the front counter, laptop and all his books laid out in front of him, trying to write a paper on neo-classical influences in modern advertising campaigns, when he heard the rumble of pipes in the walls that meant _someone_ was getting into the shower.

His fingers froze over the keys.

And then, with a low groan, he let his head drop down to the keyboard.

He liked this job. A lot. He did _not_ want to screw it up just because he was lusting after his new boss.  

Working for Levi was almost entirely perfect. He dealt well with most of the people that came through, both clients and models, and Levi hadn’t yet fired him for the ones he’d gotten into arguments with. Admittedly, Eren hadn’t actually gotten into any actual physical fights just yet, but that was mostly because he found he liked most of the people Levi dealt with. Levi seemed to have good taste. Or maybe it was something to do with Levi’s bizarre schedule.

And best of all, for Eren’s needs, most of them came through one at a time.

Every now and then, Eren would remember the one and only day he’d lasted after he got transferred from the stock room to customer service at the big department store downtown. He figured he’d been lucky to get fired within the first hour. Any longer and the place would have turned into a literal bloodbath.

It was yet another reason he really needed to keep this job. Head still on his keyboard, Eren mashed his face into the keys, wishing the pain would distract his mind.

Even the cleaning up part wasn’t all that bad, though to call Levi ‘exacting’ would be a drastic understatement. But after the first few nights, when Eren had had to re-clean the bathroom four times over before Levi had been satisfied, he thought he’d started to get the hang of it.

In fact, he’d started to enjoy it. It was a game now - cleaning so well that Levi couldn’t find anything to complain about. He’d felt like he’d won the lottery the first time Levi had walked into the bathroom after Eren had finished, and just nodded, that faint, approving smile warming his face.

The pipes in the walls behind him gurgled noisily, and Eren found himself wondering if Levi cleaned his body as thoroughly as he cleaned rooms.

His mind provided a helpful image, to go with the thought.

With another groan, Eren sat up and flopped back in his seat. He stared at the random letters now filling the computer screen in front of him. Why hadn’t he picked something more interesting? He’d only chosen this elective because Mikasa and Armin took the same class, in the daytime, and he’d figured they’d help. He should have picked… he didn’t know what would have been interesting enough to keep him from imagining Levi in the shower.

He’d have to do something. Not only was this the best job he’d ever had, it was also his last chance at making a normal life work. Or, at least as close to normal as something like him could manage. And he knew there was nothing like finding out your new receptionist was lusting after you to make things really, really messy.

Besides, he knew nothing about Levi’s personal life. Hell, the man could be married, for all Eren knew.

Maybe he had a wife sleeping upstairs or something. And he only worked at night because he wanted to spend his days with her.

When the phone rang, breaking into his thoughts, he was so relieved that he forgot to check the display before he answered. He froze, phone halfway up to his ear, eyes shooting to the screen, and then blew out a sigh of relief at the unfamiliar phone number, and not Erwin Smith’s name.

He didn’t know how to handle Erwin. The first time he’d called, he’d sounded so certain that Levi would talk to him that Eren had actually knocked on Levi’s darkroom door before he realized what he was doing. Luckily, Levi had been just finishing up, and he’d seemed to understand when Eren had stammered out an explanation.

He’d just shrugged when he handed the phone back to Eren afterwards, and told him to treat Erwin the same as he did Hanji – as in, say no and hang up.

Which Eren had tried, and failed, to do. Both Hanji and Erwin were too good. So now he just dodged their calls entirely.

But this wasn’t either of them, so he was safe. He cleared his throat. “Levi Ackerman’s phone.”

“Hello?”

The voice was uncertain, hesitant. Probably a new client. Eren stretched a hand out to grab paper and a pen. “Yes, this is Ackerman’s studio?”

“Um. I was told to call this number. To tell someone, I think- Levi? - that he should take photos of my dog? ” The woman blew out a breath. “This strang- uh, unusual person stopped me the other night when I was walking her. They just really seemed to like my dog. She’s pretty old, but she’s a great dog. Drools a lot, but, um.”

“Did the person have really thick eyeglasses, brown hair, pretty tall?”

“Yeah.” The woman sounded relieved, maybe just because of the assurance that they hadn’t imagined Hanji. “They showed me some photos. Really good ones, said Levi took them, and that he’d probably want to take photos of Ymir- my dog. But I don’t have a lot of money, so I wasn’t sure… she really is a great dog though.”

Eren bit his lip. Not only was this probably not a paying client, but it was also someone new. He hadn’t actually scheduled anyone new yet. Levi had told him to use his judgement, but... he really wanted to see this dog, if nothing else.

He could probably cover the fees if Levi wanted to get paid for the shoot. Maybe. He’d risk it.

“Can you come in tomorrow night?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo I really should stop guessing how many chapters a thing is gonna be, because there are definitely two more chapters after this one. Definitely : )
> 
> edit: yeah nope


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter, yay!! FINALLY 
> 
> I got a little busy at work, so this took a bit longer to get posted than I'd planned, but I hope you enjoy :)

The dog was definitely a drooler. Eren could see what had attracted Hanji.

They’d been playing Gix’s favorite game – Gix would pretend not to look as Eren hid bits of food around the room, and Eren would pretend not to look as Gix snuck them back out again.

Gix was happily grumbling to himself as he dug for the fat almond Eren had hidden underneath the scattered pages of the homework he was _supposed_ to be working on, when the door flew open with a loud, solid thud. They both looked up.  

A black, hulking shadow filled the doorway.

Gix croaked loudly, snatched up his almond, and took off.

“Damned coward.”

Clearly not at all affected by Eren’s muttered insult, the bird disappeared into what Eren thought of as his ‘skulking corner’ deep in the shadows at the back of the room.

Bracing himself, Eren stood and walked cautiously around to the front of the counter.

The shadow snuffled softly, padding forward a step.

A girl squeezed in through the doorway, nudging the creature forward enough so she could pull the door shut behind them both. Eren studied them both as she stood, taking in the dark waiting room.

The girl was tiny, blonde and petite. The creature was not.

Approximately the size of a small horse, covered  in thick grey-speckled black fur that curled around her long face and pointed ears, the dog – because despite everything she couldn’t be anything but a dog – blinked sleepily at Eren, and then let her tongue lol out in a happy dog grin.

A second later, she took off.

It was more of an amble than a run, but she moved with great, unstoppable strength and determination, dragging the girl behind her as she headed straight towards Eren.

Halfway across the room she leaped, her Frisbee-sized front paws landing against his shoulders, knocking him to the ground.

“Ymir, no!” The girl gasped, and dove forward to try and drag the giant dog off of Eren.

As the dog licked at every inch of his face and neck, Eren couldn’t stop laughing long enough to tell her to get off of him.

“I’m so sorry. She’s usually really good, she hasn’t jumped on anyone in years.”

With the girl tugging, and Eren pushing, they managed to get Ymir to slowly lumber to one side long enough for him to sit up. He grinned broadly up at the girl over the dog’s head as he scratched at her ears. “It’s ok. She’s a great dog.”

The girl smiled back, relieved.

Eren heard a slight noise, and swung his head around to find Levi watching with narrowed eyes.  

Quickly, Eren pushed at Ymir until he was free enough to scramble to his feet. “Levi. This is Ymir, and…” He paused, realizing for the first time he’d never gotten the dog owner’s name.

“Historia.” The girl smiled, more tentatively this time. “I’m so sorry, Ymir’s usually really well behaved, mostly. I even named her after my girlfriend, when she was my ex, because she – my girlfriend, I mean - never listens to me, and Ymir, the dog Ymir I mean, _does_ , and…”

She cut herself off, biting her lip as she tugged at Ymir’s lead. The big dog didn’t budge. “She’s really nothing like Ymir.” Hesitating, she studied the big dog leaning heavily against Eren’s side, panting happily as she stared adoringly up at his face. “Actually, there’s a distinct resemblance at the moment. Only, uh-” And Historia blushed, deeply.

“I see.” Levi’s voice was expressionless. His eyes flicked from Eren, to Historia, and then finally settled on the dog.

Eren held his breath, studying Levi’s face. He hadn’t gotten a bad reaction, exactly, when he’d first told him he’d scheduled someone – and that it wasn’t even a paying customer - but he couldn’t say Levi had looked too happy about it either. He hoped he hadn’t screwed this up already.  

But after a long minute Levi finally nodded to himself as he turned to Eren, “You might as well come help on this one.”

 

\--

 

Eren’s jeans were soaked with dog drool by the time Historia left, dragging the reluctant Ymir with her.

The moment they walked out, Levi sent Eren straight to the shower, telling him to use the robe hung on the wall and to give him all his clothes so they could go in the washing machine immediately.

Eren dumped everything but his underwear outside the door, and turned the water up as high as he could stand, scrubbing himself until he was mostly sure he didn’t smell like dog anymore. The room was full of steam when he finally stepped out of the shower, but the hot water had held out.

Though he supposed he should have expected that – hot water tanks probably weren’t a thing Levi would have skimped on.

He pulled on the spare robe Levi had handed him and found himself dwarfed. The sleeves hung inches past his hands, and though Eren wasn’t exactly short the knee-length hem hit somewhere in the middle of his calves.

On Levi, it would probably be ankle length. He’d have to wrap it twice around his waist to keep it from constantly falling open.  

For a moment, Eren was distracted by the pictures his mind conjured up. Levi, shoulder bared by an oversized robe that wouldn’t stay up. Levi, sitting at the breakfast table, thighs playing peekaboo as the robe fell around the seat of his chair. 

_Better yet, Levi lying in bed, the loose folds of the robe half covering, half revealing his chest, his stomach, his legs. He’d watch Eren with eyes that knew exactly what Eren wanted. He’d want it too._

With a muffled groan, Eren turned away from the fogged up mirror and deliberately thunked his head against the door. Hard.

It hurt, but didn’t do much to cool his suddenly very heated face. Or any other suddenly heated part of him.

This was no X-rated novel. This was reality.

As he reached up to rub at his bruised forehead, he caught the faintest whiff of some scent, coming from the sleeve of the robe. Cologne, maybe? Woodsy, masculine, strong, and nothing like anything he’d ever smelled on Levi.

Something dark sparked in his chest.

Whose robe was this? It wasn’t Levi’s. Maybe he kept it in case one of his models needed it?

Or maybe he had a boyfriend.

_That is so not something you should be worrying about, Eren.  He could have lovers all over and you’d just have to deal._

Levi’s love life had nothing to do with him. Nothing.

Nothing. At. All.

But as he firmly, repeatedly told himself to leave it alone, Eren couldn’t quite make the irritation, the frustration, the jealousy, go away. That dark little spark in his chest was screaming at him, growing.

And that, more than anything, helped him start to let it all go. _This_ was one of many, reasons why he wasn’t going to get involved with Levi. He’d learned enough of what that emotion could turn into, if he let it.

That wasn’t who he was, or who he wanted to be. Not if he intended to keep the life he had now.

Still, he’d bring his own robe. Tomorrow. Not that he’d ever need one again, probably, but the decision was all that kept him from dumping the robe in the trash and walking out of the bathroom in his undies.

When he finally stepped out, he found Levi sitting at the small desk he kept in his studio, scanning through the photos he’d taken with his digital camera. He glanced up as Eren walked out, his eyes going straight to the red mark in the center of Eren’s forehead. “I heard a sound. Did you fall?”

Self-consciously, Eren rubbed at it. “Yeah. I, uh, slipped. Accidentally.”

“Right.”

“It wasn’t intentional.”

Levi simply stared at Eren, as Eren found himself wishing, not for the first time, that he’d figured out how to keep his mouth shut. “Um. The photos look ok?”

“Yes.” Breaking eye contact, to Eren’s relief, Levi nodded as he set the camera on the desk. “We got some good shots.” He looked back up at Eren. “You did well, for your first solo scheduling.”

Suddenly, Eren forgot all about robes, jealousy, and embarrassing himself in front of the guy he liked. “Yeah?” They’d taken shots with the girl, as well as the dog, and he’d hoped that had meant Levi approved, but he hadn’t been sure. “You liked her, them?”

“Yeah. Don’t put too many in the lineup. But you picked a good one this time.”

Eren felt a wide smile spread across his face. “You didn’t mind that she wasn’t a customer?”

Levi glanced back up at Eren, opening his mouth to reply, and then suddenly stiffened. Eyes narrowing, he stepped forward so quickly Eren had no time to do much of anything before Levi was gripping his jaw, staring at his mouth.

_Not at his mouth. At his teeth._

Eren went still, felt the blood drain from his face. His breath froze in his lungs.

“I’ve noticed them before, but your teeth- you sharpen them, don’t you?”

It took Eren a second, and then two. He started breathing again. “Ah, no.”

“Are you sure? They really are pointed.” Levi ran a light finger over Eren’s canines. The wave of sensation nearly had Eren’s knees buckling. “One of my mother’s friends ground her teeth to points, when she was young. She has all sorts of dental problems now.”

“No.” Eren tried to swallow, found it exceptionally hard. “I don’t- they’re just like that.”

“Really?” Levi set the pad of one finger over the sharp point, pushing down hard enough that Eren could almost taste the hot blood beneath his skin.

“It’s blood!” Eren blurted out.

Levi blinked up at him as he finally, to Eren’s relief and intense, crushing disappointment, pulled his hands away. “What do you mean?”

“It’s, ah…it’s in my blood.”

“Your sharp teeth are hereditary?” 

Eren took two full steps away. “Yeah. That’s- yeah. That’s it. I just need- I need to check…Gix. I need to check on Gix.” He backed up another two steps. And turned and ran.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo yup, this is now officially a 6 chapter story I don't know who (me) ever thought it would be four chapters, let alone a one shot (me)
> 
> But here's chapter 5 :)

Everything was going well. _Too_ well.  

On the Monday before Christmas, as Levi sat at his desk putting the final edits on the last of the last minute holiday photo sets, a single thought flashed into his mind.

He was getting used to having Eren around.  

The idea made him uncomfortable. Still, he couldn’t deny that he thought about Eren all the damn time, which should have irritated him excessively, but somehow didn’t. He’d caught himself checking the clock repeatedly in the hours before Eren was due to arrive, and he’d started finding reasons to linger in the waiting room a full half hour early so he’d be close enough to let him in the moment he arrived.

He’d thought about giving Eren a key, but decided that would have crossed the line. What line, he couldn’t have said, but he knew it would have been a step and a half past it. After all, he wasn’t _reliant_ on Eren – he’d do just fine if the kid decided not to turn up one day.  

It would be a pain to have to deal with the phone calls again, or the walk-ins, and he figured from the horror on Eren’s face when he’d started in on the years’ worth of invoices and receipts that Levi had been keeping out of sight and mind, tucked away in neat rows of cardboard boxes at the back of his darkroom, that he really would have to finally tackle that shit whether or not Eren stuck around to do it for him.

He’d started to depend on Eren’s help in the studio, too. For one thing, his almost supernatural ability to control animals and anxious clients only got more impressive – and baffling – the more Levi saw it in action, and for another, somehow Eren was already far more attuned to Levi’s spoken and unspoken requests than any assistant Levi had ever worked with before – even Hanji – and while Eren didn’t have the experience to know exactly what Levi needed him to do just yet, he was turning out to be a quick study.

They worked well together, but Levi was absolutely sure he didn’t _need_ Eren.

He just really liked having him around.

It was that thought that had Levi saving his files, turning off his computer, leaving the last of the editing for later. He’d check on Eren. His last client wasn’t due for another fifteen minutes or so, so they had some time to maybe have something like a conversation.

And it was _that_ thought that kept Levi in his chair.

He sucked at conversation. That was why he didn’t have friends – friends usually required conversation. Hanji and Erwin didn’t count, they were too strange for normal rules to apply.   

Leaning back in his chair, Levi stared up at the ceiling. Maybe he could ask Eren how the accounting was going, or if he’d done his homework. Did he like spearmint or peppermint toothpaste. What his preferred toilet cleaning routine was.

Or he could just not, and save them both the misery.

He scrubbed his hands over his face. Maybe he didn’t need to talk. He could just go, sit on the couch, watch Eren. That wouldn’t be creepy at all.

He needed a reason to be out there, something that would keep his hands occupied.

_The window._

Levi sat up, standing abruptly as he remembered the window latch Gix had ripped off the night before. He _did_ need to re-attach it. It was perfect – he’d be in the same room, clearly fully occupied, and if he angled it just right he might even be able to watch Eren in the reflection. Which meant he might finally, conclusively, catch Eren staring at his ass when he thought Levi wasn’t looking.

It was on that happy thought that he stepped through the curtains into the waiting room.

Eren wasn’t alone. He sat on one of the sofas, his arms wrapped around one of Levi’s prettiest models, his lips inches away from her neck. Emily’s pretty face was flushed, her lips swollen. The eyes she lifted to Levi as he walked in were bright, sparkling.

She looked as though she’d just been kissed.

Giggling, she snuggled a little deeper into Eren’s side.

Eren, on the other hand, turned a sickly grey the instant he saw Levi. He jerked away from Emily, jumping to his feet, one hand slightly outstretched towards Levi.

“Hi, Levi!”

Levi stared into Eren’s pale, guilty face, seeing the way Eren’s hand fell to his side. “Hello, Emily.”

“Are you ready for me?” She giggled again, glancing up at Eren. “I really like your new receptionist.”

“Go on back, Emily.”

“Okay!” She hopped to her feet, almost skipping as she crossed the room, leaving on a wave of some sweet, floral perfume.  

The room descended into silence.

It somehow infuriated Levi even more that Eren didn’t even bother to try excusing himself. “Don’t hit on my clients. Or my models.”

“That’s not-”

“That’s not what you were doing? What the fuck else could it have been?” Levi’s voice was sharp, the low tone reverberating through the room.  

“Levi…” There was some message in Eren’s eyes as they met his own, a plea that Levi couldn’t even begin to understand.

“What, Eren?”

Eren drew in a shaky breath, let it out, and dropped his eyes to the floor. “I’m sorry.”

“Fine. Find someplace else to look for fuckbuddies. My studio is not your personal hunting ground.”

Eren flinched, visibly. “I know.”

Unable to think of another single damned thing to say, Levi stared at him. Where those tears at the corners of his eyes? What the _fuck_ was going on? What else could Eren have been doing but hitting on Emily? And _why_?

With a muttered expletive, Levi turned on his heel and escaped, leaving the baffling mystery that was Eren behind.

 

-

 

Shit.

Shit. Shit. _Shit._

Eren stood, alone, in the waiting room, staring at the place Levi had just been. He wanted to run away – far, far away. But he also, desperately, wanted to run after Levi and explain…what?

He scrubbed at his face. Emily must not have eaten very much, or maybe she was more than a little anemic. He hadn’t tasted any drugs, or alcohol, so that wasn’t why she’d gotten overwhelmed so quickly. He’d been so very careful with all the people that came through Levi’s waiting room. Watching them closely first, making sure to take only a little, never more than once from each person.

Evidently, he must have gotten sloppy.

He’d stopped as soon as he realized what was happening, and he’d thought he’d have another ten minutes or so to ease her down to some semblance of normal before Levi came out –

He’d been wrong.

Maybe he ought to be relieved that Emily was _that_ type. Some people fell into an almost coma-like sleep, if he took too much, or too often. Others got buzzed, as if they’d had caffeine and sugar injected straight into their veins. Some got extremely angry and aggressive. Those ones were always very not-fun to deal with. A few got, really, really weepy. As in, sobbing all over his chest weepy. _For hours_.

And wouldn’t that have been a great thing for Levi to walk into.

So the fact that Emily merely reacted as if he’d been flirting with her should have relieved him. At least Levi would have a good explanation for why Eren had been hovering over her neck.

He should make sure Levi kept thinking that way. He really should. And if he couldn’t do that, he needed to leave, now. Away from Levi, away from his apartment, his friends, the city. Back to the safety and secrecy of his family.

But he didn’t want to. He wanted to run after Levi, tell him he was sorry, that he hadn’t been flirting, that it was _Levi_ he wanted to kiss. And do all that other stuff with.

And wasn’t that even more impossible than all the rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and then there was angst :)


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finished (most) of my classes, so i have more time to write. Except now I'm also moving house, so there is that :)
> 
> Thank you all for reading this, and all the kudos and comments on this and my other fics - it's definitely kept me going in the midst of all the franticness, and it means the world to me!

Eren heard the faint rumble of voices from the studio suddenly grow louder, and jerked into motion. Scooting his chair back under the desk, he grabbed a book from the messy pile he’d dumped them all into when he’d arrived for the night, and slapped it open to a random page.

As he sat, shoulders hunched, staring blankly down at the page, he hoped he gave a decent impression of someone who’d actually been studying for the last forty-five minutes, and not simply spinning in his chair as he stared into space.

Two pairs of footsteps crossed the wooden floorboards of the small hallway that led from the studio, and were abruptly muffled as they reached the rug covered floor of the waiting room. Ever so casually, Eren glanced up from his book an instant after Levi arrived at the counter with their newest client.

The clean-cut twenty-something who’d walked in less than an hour before wore a pale blue knit sweater over a button-up shirt he’d tucked into neatly pressed khaki pants. The outfit didn’t really need the ornate, greek-letter-engraved ring to all but scream ‘frat boy’ – but the ring had confirmed Eren’s first impression. As had the way the man’s leather belt matched his shoes, wallet, and the collar and leash on the bright-eyed Pomeranian he held cradled in his arms.

The Pom yipped happily as she caught sight of Eren, the pink bow over her ear wobbling precariously as she strained frantically in his direction.

Eren stayed firmly in his seat behind the counter, his face firmly fixed in the polite expression of mild interest he’d been practicing in the mirror at home.

He couldn’t help but smile at the little dog, though.

Frat Boy eyed her in slight bewilderment. “I’ve never seen her act like this, with anyone except me.” He glanced back at Levi. “She basically hates everybody.”

“I noticed.”

Frat Boy winced a little at Levi’s flat tone. “Yeah, you would have. Sorry, again.” He gave what even Eren had to admit was an engaging grin. “But hey, at least her jaw is too small to do much damage, right? She barely even broke the skin, after that first time. And I really will pay to replace that backdrop she peed on if the stain doesn’t come off.”

With a fresh surge of wiggling, the Pom almost managed to wrestle free. As Frat Boy re-adjusted his grip he shot that same sparkling grin at Eren. “Historia did say said you were good with Ymir – the dog Ymir, I mean. Maybe you could help out next time. I have a feeling she wouldn’t bite _you_.”

Eren didn’t look at Levi as he gave what he hoped was a convincingly professional, non-committal smile. “Yeah, maybe next time.”

A slightly alarmed expression crossed over Frat Boy’s face.

Eren decided he probably should practice that particular smile a little more before trying it out in public again. 

Levi barely moved a muscle, saying nothing as Frat Boy paid the final part of his bill – cash, so Eren still didn’t know his name – but it wasn’t until Frat Boy and his dog were headed out the door that Eren risked actually looking directly at Levi.

And felt every organ in his chest squeeze. Levi was watching him, his eyes unwavering, serious.

After one long, endless second, Levi’s eyes drifted away, down to the book Eren had been pretending to study. When they flicked back up to Eren’s face, there was a new, slightly quizzical expression on his face. He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but then shut it, turned on his heel, and stalked back into the studio.  

Eren sagged in his chair.

What the hell was he going to do to put things right?

He’d been so careful for the past two days, since the Emily incident, but the walls Levi had put up between them only seemed to be growing taller.

Levi hadn’t asked him to help today. He barely talked to Eren at all anymore, beyond the bare minimum. He spent almost every minute he wasn’t with clients in his darkroom, with the door firmly shut.

Eren had almost left a toilet dirty the night before, just to see what Levi would do. Only the fear that Levi would still say nothing to him had kept him from doing it.  

Oddly, the part that seemed to hurt the most was the way Levi wasn’t there by the door, waiting, when Eren arrived for the night. It was stupid, but Eren had found himself almost losing the battle to fight back tears as he’d waited for Levi to come let him in.

Even Gix was avoiding him. Maybe he hated the tension as much as Eren did, or blamed Eren for it, because he spent most of the last few nights out and gone, only coming back in just before Eren left for the morning.

Eren was lonely, worried, and bored.

And, worst of all, he was _hungry_.

“Interesting.”

The deep, resonant voice nearly made Eren shriek. He jumped to his feet, chair shooting backwards, his fists up and ready.

The big, blond man standing just inside the front door smiled gently back at him. He looked cool, calm, and as if he’d just materialized in from some high class board room downtown. He wore a suit so closely fitted to his large frame that even Eren knew it had to have been tailored for him. He stepped forward, and Eren caught the faint glimmer of gold at his wrist. 

“You must be Eren. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you in person.”

That voice. Eren knew that damned voice. “I didn’t hear you come in.”

“The nice young man with the dog held the door for me.”  Pale eyes glittered as they studied Eren. “I expect you were a little distracted.”

Eren determinedly ignored that comment. “You’re Erwin, right? You have a distinctive voice.”

“I am.” Erwin’s eyebrows lifted. “I’m impressed, we’ve only talked a few times. Since you usually avoid my phone calls.”

For a split second, Eren found himself struggling with the impulse to climb up to stand on the counter, so he could at least have the advantage of height in dealing with Erwin. He was grateful for the small, rational part of his mind that reminded him he’d look ridiculous, and that it probably wouldn’t help anyway.

Almost as if he knew what Eren was thinking, Erwin smiled. “I’ve heard so much about you. You’re not quite what I expected.”

Eren blinked. “You have? Levi told you about me?” He couldn’t help the surge of… _something_ happy he felt at the idea. He couldn’t keep it from his voice, either.

The slight softening of Erwin’s expression was almost imperceptible. It _might_ have been sympathy.  “No, but with Levi, it’s often what he doesn’t say that needs to be listened to the hardest.”  

Eren struggled with both embarrassment and disappointment. He shrugged, “No big deal.” And then he frowned. “Then who told you about me?”

“Hanji.” Erwin’s eyes flicked to Eren’s mouth and stayed there. “She told me _all_ about you.”   

And just like that, Eren felt panic bubble up in his stomach. “Hanji? What did-”

The door flew open, and the Hanji in question walked in on a gust of wind, her arms wrapped around her giant stage make-up case. She grinned at Eren. “Hey, kid.”

“Erwin, you asshole.” Levi’s voice made all three heads turn back towards the studio. Levi stood just inside the waiting room, glaring at the newcomers. “You’re supposed to give me some advance warning. I could have been busy.”

“But you’re not. Besides, Hanji said she’d let you know.”

“And I did, too!”

“Thirty seconds before you turn up is not advance warning, Hanji.” But Levi already sounded resigned, as if he knew he knew he was fighting a lost cause. “Did you text me from the street outside?”

“Exactly!” Hanji beamed at him. “Because _last_ time you told me I gave you too much warning.”

“Oh, that’s right, Levi, I remember now. You said you wouldn’t remember something that unimportant.” Erwin shook his head, “You’ve got to stop changing your mind all the time.”

“Fuck you, Erwin.”

Erwin just smiled back at him.

With a disgusted sound, Levi turned on his heel. “Well, come on back then.”

Levi and Erwin disappeared into the studio, but Hanji stopped halfway across the room, the grin slipping from her face once she got close enough to get a good look at Eren.

“Eren. You’re too pale. When did you last eat?”

Eren flicked panicked glance after the other two. He could still hear them talking to each other. He couldn’t make out their words – but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t hear Hanji’s. Her voice was good at penetrating.

“I know you’re uncomfortable eating the neighbors-”

“Hanji, please.” He glanced back again at the studio.

She sighed, but lowered her voice. “You just have to go for it, Eren.” 

“It’s not that easy.”

“Why not? There’s plenty of places in the apartment building you can just hang out and wait for someone to come along. I can disengage the cameras easily enough.”

“Right, because lurking in the- the elevator, or the stairs, or sitting in the laundry room and waiting for some poor neighbor to come along to wash their undies _isn’t_ wrong in so many ways.”

“I’ve told you before, you have too many scruples.”

“I really don’t, Hanji.”

She eyed him with concern. “Eren, you have to eat. That isn’t negotiable.”

“I know, but-”

“Then you’ll have to start going to class in person again, instead of online. It should be easy enough to lure one of your classmates off to a dark corner somewhere every once in a while.”

Eren moaned, dropping back into his chair. “Hanji, could you not- just not.”

She braced one arm on the counter as she looked down at him. “You really don’t look well, Eren. You haven’t been eating enough for a while.”

“I’ll figure it out.”

“Uh-huh. You should just tell Levi all of it.”

Eren choked. “What?”

“Just tell him. He’ll be fine with it. And then you can just eat here, when you need to, like I said you could when I suggested this job.”

“I can’t tell him!”

“Sure, you can.”

“I _can’t_.” Eren glanced back at the studio, and lowered his voice even more. “Look, technically, the fact that you, Armin, and Mikasa, know about me means I should already have disappeared.”

She waved her hands through the air. “Yes, yes, but we’re exceptions.”

“You shouldn’t be.”

She grinned. “Sure we are.”

“And that reminds me, why’d you tell Erwin?”

She blinked. “Oh, did he find out about you being a vamphf-”

Her words were cut off when Eren jumped to his feet and set his hand firmly over her mouth. “Hanji, _please_.”

Pushing his hand away, she grinned at him but shook her head. “I didn’t tell him, Eren. I wouldn’t. Are you sure he knows?”

Eren glanced back towards the studio. “Not exactly, but-” He was very nearly certain Erwin did know.  

She shrugged, settling more comfortably against the counter as she reached down to grab one of the almonds from the little dish he’d set out to bribe Gix with. “He probably figured it out on his own.”

“But if you didn’t tell him…this is the first time I’ve met him.”  

“Yeah, that’s Erwin for you. I’m actually surprised Levi hasn’t figured it out yet. He will though.” She angled her head to look at the book Eren had been pretending to study.  

“What?” Eren almost yelped. “What do you mean, he will?”

“Eren, since when have you been studying biology?”

Distracted, Eren glanced down, and felt a wave of horror sweep through him. The page he’d opened to at random showed a giant, colored diagram of an erect penis. It must have been one of Armin’s textbooks that had gotten mixed up with his.

Before Eren could gather himself again, Levi walked back in from the back room, a studded black leather jacket in one hand and what looked like a red Mohawk wig in the other. “Hanji, get your ass back here-”

He stopped abruptly, eying Eren’s face. “What’s wrong?”

Eren wasn’t sure if he’d gone red, or stark white. He felt as though he’d gone through a dozen raging emotions in the past thirty seconds. He shook his head mutely.

Hanji hoisted her make-up kit, and skipped towards Levi. “No worries. Is Erwin already undressed?”

“Yeah.”

She nudged at Levi’s shoulder as she walked past him. “Then we’d better get to it.”

With one last long look at Eren, Levi turned to follow her, leaving Eren staring after them.

A rattle behind Eren had him turning, almost numb at the thought of any more surprises for the night. Gix popped through his hatch, angling his head from side to side as he studied the room. Evidently deciding it was safe, he hopped all the way through, and flew down to land on the desk in front of Eren.

And then he bit Eren’s hand. Hard.

“Ow!” Jerking his hand back against his chest, Eren studied Gix. “What was that for?”

Gix twisted his head to one side and then held still, clearly waiting for Eren to do something.

With a sigh, Eren reached out and stroked a finger over the black bird’s neck. “At least you’re easy to understand, Gix.”

Gix cawed, nipped – lightly this time – at Eren’s hand, and then hopped towards the little dish of nuts.

 

It wasn’t until a while later, after Hanji and a remarkably different looking Erwin had left, when Levi was once again ensconced in his darkroom, Gix was happily muttering to himself in his corner, and Eren had gone back to spinning idly in his chair and staring into space, that he let himself acknowledge Hanji’s point.

She wasn’t the first to tell him his scruples were becoming a problem – Mikasa and Armin were constantly telling him he was his own worst enemy when it came to surviving in this life he’d chosen for himself. He couldn’t quite explain why he couldn’t bring himself to entirely follow their advice – except to say that anything that made him feel as if he were some kind of monster preying on humans also made him feel as if there was no point in trying to live among them.

Still, he had to eat, whatever else he did. Self-control was what kept people, _creatures_ , like him from simply becoming one of the true, mindless monsters humans had been writing about in their novels for centuries, and the one sure-fire way to lose that control was to starve.  Human food didn’t help, though it kept him from looking like one of the gaunt, pasty creatures that always seemed to be creeping in through balcony windows, or down shadowy staircases in old black and white films.

He could survive on blood alone, but he wouldn’t look very human doing it. Living on human food alone, on the other hand, would leave him a monster with no awareness or control.

He’d been living in a perpetual state of light, gentle hunger for a long time now. Certain members of his family only fed once every few months, but the humans involved tended to end up dead, or close to it. Even the small amounts Eren took could cause almost irreversible damage, if the person was ill, drugged, or weak-minded enough – and that was if the trance he put them into first hadn’t already completely messed them up.

Like had very nearly happened with Emily, for a very glaring example.  

But how the hell were you supposed to figure out how healthy, or how strong a person was when all you had to go on was that they preferred Downy laundry detergent, or that they hummed to themselves in the elevator?

And when he did find a good prospect, he couldn’t feed from them more than once in too short a space of time without causing something like an obsession on their part. More than two or three times within a couple months and you wound up with a mindless creature that could be very dangerous to have around.  

The only exception, as cheesy, clichéd, and ridiculous as it was, were people in love. A human that loved deeply would never lose their mind no matter how often they were fed on.

He supposed that was what he needed to find. A strong human, deeply in love, who didn’t mind getting bitten every now and then.

 _Yeah, because someone like that is_ so _easy to find._

Eren sighed, and scrubbed a hand over the back of his neck. He really did need to eat soon. He hadn’t touched anyone since Emily, and he’d barely gotten anything from her. He supposed he’d been eating more lightly than usual with the rest of Levi’s clients, since he hadn’t worried so much about where he’d be getting his next meal.

He’d have to find someone on the way home in the morning. Or maybe he’d have to spend a few hours in the laundry room later that day.

Or maybe he’d wait another day or so.

He’d be _fine_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is most certainly, definitely, absolutely, no question about it, only one more chapter left : )


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...or not the last chapter :)
> 
> BUT things are happening now, so we're definitely coming close to the end. Thank you all for reading so far!

He wasn’t fine. At _all_.

Two days later, Eren was – once again – back in his chair, fingers tightly gripping the edge of his desk as he fought the desperate urge to jump either of the two elderly men who stood only a few feet away, on the other side of the counter. Every muscle in his body was tight, clenched, but he was doing his best to maintain what he hoped was a decent professional smile. He kept his eyes fastened firmly on the mouth of the one talking – a tall, thin man everyone called Bean – and refused to allow his gaze to drop to the pulse he could all but _feel_ beating beneath the wrinkled skin of the man’s throat.

Eren still hadn’t eaten, and it really wasn’t his fault.

First of all, someone had apparently tried to break into one of the apartments on the ground floor of his building a couple of days ago. And not just any apartment, but the apartment that belonged to the sharp-tongued mother-in-law of the entire complex’s manager. So Eren had woken up, the afternoon after he decided he’d have to go for one of his neighbors, to find signs in every hallway, elevator, and stairwell announcing that management had hired a new security agency that would be monitoring the camera feed in real time.

He might have tried to go for it anyway, but Hanji had been out, or at least hadn’t heard him knocking on her door, and Eren didn’t want to risk disarming any of the cameras on his own.

Then one of the dryers had caught fire – mildly – but it had been enough to get every single laundry room in the entire building blocked off until the fire department finished checking them all.

Eren had decided fate just didn’t want him going for one of his neighbors.

There had been one or two people on the streets as he’d headed to work, but he just couldn’t bring himself to go that way. Even picturing it – luring some poor, unsuspecting stranger off into a dark alleyway somewhere – made Eren want to just curl up under his blankets and forget to ever leave the house again.  

So now he was finding himself in definite trouble. The two men had been chattering at him for almost a half hour, and their scent – warm skin, musty fabric, and old-fashioned cologne – filled his nose and lungs. He could smell them, hear their blood rushing through their veins, almost _taste_ them. It was as if every hunting sense Eren hadn’t even known he possessed had suddenly grown ten times stronger than ever before.

It was lucky for him that Bean didn’t seem to need any help from him in the conversation, because Eren didn’t have the slightest clue what the man was talking about. But then maybe Bean was used to silent conversation partners – Eren had never actually heard Bean’s companion, the shorter, rounder Sawney, ever speak.

“Bean, Sawney.”

Levi’s voice finally managed to break through the fog Eren had been seeing the world through.

“Oh, Levi. I was just telling Eren all about our latest fishing trip – it was a great success. Though Sawney caught twice as much as me, as always.” Bean gave a creaky laugh, and Sawney’s lips stretched in a silent smile. 

Levi’s pale eyes turned to study Eren. “I see.”

“Your new assistant is such a good listener, too. Almost as good as Sawney!”

Still gripping the edge of the desk, Eren managed a weak smile.

 

\--

 

After Bean, Sawney, and Levi disappeared into the studio, Eren gave up.

It wasn’t the lingering old-man-scented-air that tipped him over the edge, but the fact that Eren had lost complete control of his body when he’d caught the faintest whiff of soap, developing chemicals, and Levi’s skin. One second he’d been in his chair, and the next he’d come back to himself halfway across the room.

He stood there, listening to the sounds from the studio, desperate to track down the source of the smell.

And then he walked back to the desk, and pulled out his phone.

“Hi. I need help.”

 

\--

 

As luck would have it, Levi was in the waiting room when Armin walked in, closely followed by a scowling Mikasa.

Bean and Sawney had just left, and Levi stood in the middle of the waiting room, apparently watching Gix tear apart his newest toy, but Eren could have sworn Levi wanted to talk to him.

Eren sat, trying not to breathe through his nose, wondering if he was about to get fired. 

When the door opened and Eren’s friends walked in, he jumped to his feet.  “Levi. These are my friends, Armin and Mikasa. We share the apartment next to Hanji’s.”

Levi swung his narrowed gaze back to Eren.

“They came to, uh-” Eren glanced frantically towards his friends. Mikasa didn’t bother taking her suspicious gaze off of Levi, Armin seemed mildly amused by the situation – which was never a good sign. Neither looked as if they planned to be of any help.

Eren shifted his feet. “I forgot my, uh, dinner. They brought it for me.”

Levi’s head swung back around to face Eren’s friends. Eren could almost _feel_ the way his eyes dropped down to their very empty hands.

He felt a rush of frustration. They could have at least stuck their hands behind their backs or something.

“They, um, would have left it outside. It’s really smelly. Tuna fish. Garlic. And tuna fish.” _That’s not smelly enough._ “And lots of Blue Cheese.” _Perfect._

All three heads swiveled in his direction, each wearing expressions in varying forms of disbelief, and a little disgust.

_Well, fuck._

Giving up, Eren swung around the desk, scooting by Levi with his back pressed against the counter.  He grabbed Armin’s arm and tugged him towards the door. “Um. Just gonna – one minute. We’ll be right back.”

As he dragged Armin out the door, Eren glanced back to see Levi and Mikasa watching each other, scowling.

He hoped they didn’t kill each other before he got back.

\--

 

Outside, Eren slumped back against a brick wall, breathing deeply, eyes closed.  

“You’re such a terrible liar.”

Eren opened his eyes and saw that Armin’s were deeply serious, despite his light tone.

“What, the blue cheese? I couldn’t think of anything else. And you and Mikasa didn’t exactly jump in to help, either.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about.”

Closing his eyes again, Eren rested his head against the wall.

“You said you were just hungry. Something else is going on.”

Eren’s head came off the wall. He frowned at Armin. “No, there isn’t.”

Armin studied Eren for a long minute, and then shook his head. “What do you think of Levi?”

Eren felt himself flush a little. “How is that important?”

“I’m not sure, but..” letting out a huff of breath, Armin smiled gently at Eren. “You know something is going to have to change, if you want to keep working here, right?”

“It’s fine, honestly. I’m just laying low for a while.”

 “Eren. If you can’t eat, then it’s a problem. That’s the whole reason you came to this place.”

“There were other reasons.”

“Yeah, but Mikasa and I can carry the rent a few more months.”

Scowling, Eren shoved away from the wall, hunching his shoulders. “I’ll eat, I was just giving it a little time.”

With a sigh, Armin unzipped his jacket. “Ok. Then lets do this, for now.” He pulled off the jacket, pushed up his sleeve, and held a wrist out to Eren.

Eren reached out to take it, but hesitated, “Are you sure you’re good?”

“It’s fine, it’s been almost six months since the last time, right? “

“I know, but-“

“It’s fine.” Armin glanced back towards the studio. “You’d better eat quickly so we can get back while there’s still a chance they haven’t gone at each other yet.”  
 

\--

But Levi was gone when they walked back in. Mikasa sat in Eren’s chair, looking through the papers he’d left scattered over the desk. Gix was beside her, eyes closed in bliss as Mikasa absently scratched at his neck.

“Eren, your notes are terrible.”

Reflexively, Eren shoved his hands in his pockets. “They’re fine.”

“Almost the entire page is doodles, Eren.”

Eren saw her pick up a pen, make a note on the page. “What are you doing?”

She frowned up at him. “I’m just adding some details you’ll need to pass the test.”

Armin sighed. “ _Mikasa_. We talked about this.”

“What? I was bored.” But Mikasa stood, giving Gix one last scratch as she studied Eren. “You look better. Don’t leave it so long next time.”

“I won’t. Promise.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *whistles quietly to self as deletes all author notes that mention this thing was ever meant to be anything but 9 chapters long*

Eren was singing. Badly.

Levi stood, back against the wall, just outside the bathroom Eren was cleaning – supposedly – while belting out a song that Levi was _almost_ sure he should be able to recognize.

But it was really, really hard to tell.

It was very nearly the end of the night, Eren would be leaving soon, and the next time the studio opened would be the morning of Christmas Day. This was Levi’s last chance. So he’d nerved himself up and marched out into the waiting room, determined to have the conversation now, before it was too late.

Instead, he’d spent the past five minutes hovering outside the propped-open door to the bathroom, just listening.

The kid was fricking adorable. And a truly terrible singer.

Evidently, Eren didn’t know the actual lyrics of the song, but that didn’t keep him from throwing himself into it with enthusiasm and volume. Every few bars he’d manage an actual, distinguishable word or two, but mostly he just seemed to be aiming his voice at whatever notes he thought he needed to hit.  

Levi heard the sound of a mop splashing into a bucket just as Eren hit – or rather, didn’t hit – a series of particularly high notes.

To Levi’s surprise, he heard himself give a short, nearly involuntary laugh.

He lifted his eyes to the ceiling, a broad grin on his face, and wished he had his phone with its handy video camera. But then, he had a feeling that the memory alone would be able to make him smile for a very long time to come. The tension that had been building in him all night suddenly melted away.

It all seemed so much simpler now. His mind had been stuck, wrestling its way along the same circular track over and over again for most of the last week. No, it had been longer than that. He’d been unable to think clearly ever since Eren had shoved himself into Levi’s life. So first, he’d ask Eren what the hell was going on. Just like that.

He’d listen to whatever Eren had to say, and then he’d tell Eren he wasn’t going to fire him, and to stop doing whatever the fuck he thought he’d been doing for the past week, because if Levi had to see that fake-ass professionally distant smile on Eren’s face one more damn time he wasn’t sure what he’d do. Maybe lean over the counter, grab Eren by the collar, and kiss him until he lost all ability to even _think_ the word ‘professional’.

Or something like that.

He still didn’t know what had happened with Emily – which was why he’d finally decided to just go ahead and ask – but he’d realized as soon as he forgot to feel so fucking hurt over it all, that not only had Eren not made him any promises to begin with, but that Levi understood Eren well enough now to know he wasn’t the type to sleep around. Whatever else had been going on, he hadn’t been playing with Emily. Or Levi.

And really, there wasn’t much else Levi could imagine that would make him want to kick the guy out of his life. So he’d reassure Eren, and then he’d ask if he would come spend the 25th with him.

Christmas Day. And Levi’s birthday.

He wanted Eren here.

He didn’t know why Eren had insisted he wouldn’t work days, but Levi didn’t need him to work – he just wanted him to be around. It was the only day of the year that Levi opened his studio, for the simple reason that it was also the only day of the year that he truly couldn’t stand being alone.

Nothing but packing the day in with work had ever made the day any easier to bear. He’d tried forgetting the date, pretending there was nothing special about the 25th, but while it was easy enough to forget his birthday it was really damn hard to forget Christmas. And since he didn’t like the lack of control – or the hangover – that came with getting shit-faced drunk, he’d had to figure out some other solution.

So he kept himself occupied from the moment the sun came up until he dropped into bed, as exhausted as he could make himself. Usually, he’d spend most of December spreading the word, calling all the people he’d turned down because they wouldn’t come in at night. He’d even post ads in the damn newspaper – something that made him cringe even thinking about it.

This year, though, he hadn’t done any of that. Oh, he had a few clients who’d booked themselves in, months ago, but he’d been too occupied with thoughts of Eren to worry about how he was going to distract himself on his birthday, so most of the day was starkly, glaringly empty.

So, essentially, it was all Eren’s fault and Eren needed to man up and deal with the situation.

Blowing out a breath, Levi pulled away from the wall, and started towards the bathroom door. It was time.

He’d taken barely a step when Eren stopped singing. An instant later, Levi heard the faint sound of a ringtone.   

“Hello, Ackerman’s studio.” Eren’s voice was slightly breathless, as if, maybe, he’d been singing _and_ dancing. Levi wished he'd seen it. “Oh hi, Hanji. No, Levi said he wouldn’t speak to you again until next year, at least, unless it was a life or death emergency.” There was a pause. “Uh-huh. Too late, Hanji, I know this is you. Whose phone are you calling from this time, anyway?”

Levi found himself smiling. The kid had had gotten very good at dealing with all the annoyances in Levi’s life. He lost the smile a moment later when he heard alarm creep into Eren’s voice.

“Me? Why do you want to speak to me?”

Levi tensed, ready to step in and deflect, only to relax again when he heard Eren laugh softly.

“No, I’m not hungry anymore, Hanji. But thank you for offering.”  

In the long silence that followed, Levi debated whether he should stay, or go back to his studio and wait until Eren was ready to leave. They could even go somewhere else, have the talk over breakfast on neutral ground somewhere.

“My feelings have nothing to do with this.”

That settled it. Levi turned on his heel and headed back to his studio. He’d come back later, when there was no risk of Eren catching him eavesdropping.

 

\--

 

 

“Honestly, Eren, I don’t see why you won’t tell us how you feel about Levi.”

“And I really don’t understand why you all keep asking me about it, Hanji.”

“We think it’s important.”

“But _why_?” Eren flinched a little, hearing his own words reverberate off the walls. He glanced towards the empty doorway, grateful the guest bathroom was on the other side of the building, away from the studio. He didn’t think Levi could possibly hear him, even if he yelled, but he lowered his voice anyway. “My feelings for Levi have nothing to do with how hungry I’ve been getting.”

“Maybe not, although there’s a lot we still don’t understand about your kind. But you were pretty close to starving the other day.” Hanji did not sound as if she was anywhere close to letting the subject drop. Eren wondered if he could get away with pretending he had another call coming in. Probably not. 

“I know, but that was just an isolated thing. I got a little worried after the Emily thing-”

“Exactly the point, Eren, you need to tell Levi about everything.”

“What? No!” Eren forgot to worry about keeping his voice down. “For the last time, I can’t tell Levi. It’s fine the way it is.”

“Armin said you were so depleted he thought he wouldn’t be able to give you enough on his own. He said he's never seen you that close to losing control.”

“But I’m _fine_.” Eren jabbed his mop into the bucket so hard water slopped over the sides. “And telling Levi everything would be the number one way for me to make everything _not_ fine.”

“I don’t see how you’re going to get through this without telling him. Armin suggested your actual physiology may even be changing in response to-”

“Hanji!” Eren very nearly yelped. He closed his eyes, dug deep, and tried to calm himself. “Nothing is changing, physi-whatever or otherwise.”

Hanji was quiet for a long second. When she did start speaking again, her voice was softer, almost sympathetic, “Even if that’s correct, you aren’t doing well, Eren. What will it hurt to tell him?”

“I can’t.”

“Why not? Give him a chance, see how he reacts.”

“Come on Hanji, even if it weren’t for the whole ‘it’s supposed to be a secret’ thing, what am I supposed to say? ‘Oh by the way, Levi, you know when you said not to use this place as a hunting ground you totally hit that nail right on the head. Sure, I really like you and I kinda want to jump your bones but oh, yeah – I gotta drink people’s blood and I can’t go out in the sun. Why yes, that sure does sound a lot like a- like a _vampire_. Imagine that. That happens to be because I _am_ -”

The faint sound of a shoe scuffing over tile had Eren whirling. Levi stood just inside the door, staring at him, his face deathly pale.  

Eren dropped the phone.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> : )


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope y'all enjoyed that ending to the last chapter, cuz i sure did 
> 
> one more chapter after this, which I should be posting tomorrow!

The bathroom was so silent that Eren could hear the faint, tinny sound of Hanji’s voice coming from the dropped handset.

He couldn’t quite catch his breath. He stood, his eyes fastened to Levi’s face, his hands still wrapped around the long handle of the mop.

For once, Levi’s emotions were clearly visible to Eren. There was shock, of course, some disbelief, and a growing understanding that meant Levi was starting to add many things together and come up with something close to the correct answer.

Eren thought he saw something else in those pale eyes, too, something that made his heart seize up in his chest.

Anger, maybe. Disdain? Rejection?  

_Or disgust_

Eren suddenly felt perilously close to tears. “Levi, I-”

The jarring, not quite melodic sounds of someone jamming their finger on the buttons of a cell phone made him flinch, cutting off whatever words might have come pouring out.

He flinched again when Levi swore, softly, but with great force.

Finally taking his eyes off of Eren, Levi stalked across the bathroom to snatch up the phone, not bothering to say a word to Hanji before hanging up.

But Eren had started moving almost as soon as he’d realized the doorway was clear. He’d almost made it to the door to the street outside when he thought he might have heard Levi say his name from behind him.

Eren didn’t stop.

After all, just seeing the rejection he’d expected on Levi’s face had very nearly broken him. If he had to listen to the actual words come from Levi’s mouth, in Levi’s voice, he didn’t think he’d ever recover.

\--

 

He walked into the apartment just in time to see Armin come out of his room, still in the tee and pajama pants he wore to bed.

Armin frowned a little, glancing at the clock on the wall. “You’re home early this morning. I was only just about to start breakfast.”

Saying nothing, Eren stood, back against the door, staring blankly at his friend.

Going very still, Armin’s eyes narrowed on Eren’s face, and then slid down to the mop Eren still held clutched in one hand. “What happened?”

“Levi found out.”

\--

 

“What do you mean, you just left?”

Mikasa, who had been kneeling beside the coffee table writing last minute Christmas cards, was now staring in shock at Eren. “We thought he must have kicked you out, or gotten mad. You mean you didn’t even give him a chance to react?”

Eren hunched deeper into the thick pile of blankets he’d burrowed himself into, deliberately shifting on the couch so he couldn’t see Mikasa’s disapproving stare. When he’d calmed down enough to think, he’d realized his friends wouldn’t approve of that part of his story. He’d been beyond grateful that they’d both been too busy on Christmas Eve to ask for the details of what had happened.

But now it was officially Christmas morning. There was no class or work, and since none of them had any family – or at least no family they had any interest spending more time than they had to with – there was absolutely nothing left to deflect Armin or Mikasa’s attention off of Eren.

He shrugged, though Mikasa probably couldn’t really tell, what with all the blankets. “I saw enough.”

“You did? Where?”

“On his face.”

“On his _face_?”

Eren said nothing, just settled in deeper into his personal cave.

Mikasa said something under her breath, clearly exasperated. “ _Eren._ You’re terrible at reading people.”

“Am not.” Eren muttered, with absolutely no conviction.

“You suck, and you know it. Besides, Levi isn’t exactly a good match for your non-existent skills, anyway.”

For some reason, that remark irritated Eren . He raised his head and glared at her. “What does that mean?”

“I mean. That man is about as expressive with his emotions as a brick buried in six feet of mud.”

Eren’s temper surged, heating his veins. “Yeah, well, you’re not exactly one to talk.”

She reared back, narrowing her eyes at him, but it was Armin who spoke, from somewhere in the vicinity of the island that divided the living room from the apartment’s small kitchen, outside of Eren’s blanket shrouded sight. “Eren. That was uncalled for.”

His voice was soft, the tone light, but Eren felt the implied ‘don’t be a dick’ in it all the same. He flushed, using one hand to move the blankets over his face enough so he could clearly meet Mikasa’s eyes. “Sorry. I didn’t mean it. It’s not true, anyway.”

She eyed him, and then nodded, accepting the apology. “Fine. But I still say whatever you thought you saw, you should have at least talked to him.”

“I thought you didn’t even like Levi? Why are you pushing me to talk to him?”

“I don’t dislike him. I don’t particularly like him, either. But you, in this state, is irritating.”

Letting out a long sigh, Eren shifted his balance, flopping over sideways onto the couch. The room was already dim, the heavy blackout curtains pulled tightly shut over all the windows and the only light spilling out from the kitchen overheads and the single desk lamp Mikasa had been using, so as the blankets fell over Eren’s face he found himself in perfect, warm darkness.

“It doesn’t matter, anyway.” He muttered.

“Call him, you idiot. At least give him a chance to actually be a dick, so we can all forget about him once and for all.”

Eren wiggled a little, settling deeper into the couch. Maybe he’d just stay here until New Years. “Yeah well, he hasn’t called me, either.”

In the next moment, _something_ heavy landed on him, pinning his arms against his chest. He felt the blankets being peeled back from his face, and then Mikasa was glaring down at him.

“You left your phone there, dumbass. He _can’t_ call you.”

Eren scowled back up at her. “He could have found a way.”

She let out a loud sound of disgust, grabbed one of the sofa’s square cushions from behind her, and smushed it into Eren’s face.

The struggle to gain control of the pillow was short and fierce. By the end of it, they’d both rolled off the couch, dragging the blankets and a couple of the seat cushions to the floor with them. They’d also knocked against the coffee table hard enough that Mikasa’s heavy jar of pens had dropped off the edge and bounced – painfully – off of Eren’s head before rolling off somewhere out of the way. By some miracle the lamp had stayed upright and on the table, though the adjustable head was now pointed at the ceiling.

Still, he’d won. Eren grinned at Mikasa from the far side of the table, and then tossed the cushion at her head. “Who’s a dumbass now?”

She rolled her eyes, tucking the pillow firmly under her arm as she got to her feet in one smooth motion. She was smiling faintly. “At least you don’t look so miserable anymore.”

“What?” Eren’s grin slipped a little in surprise.

“You’ve been looking miserable ever since you walked into the house yesterday morning.” She eyed him consideringly. “You look a little more yourself, now.”

“The wan, defeated look doesn’t suit you, Eren.”

Armin’s calm voice made Eren turn his head, glancing back over his shoulder towards the kitchen. He saw Armin standing, at ease, back resting against the kitchen island. He had a big bowl tucked under one arm, and as Eren watched he used his other hand to lift a wooden spoon to his mouth, licking at whatever he’d been mixing.

Eren had the distinct impression Armin had been standing just like that for a while, watching their fight. All Armin needed was a bag of popcorn to complete the image of entertained spectator. Eren scowled. “What?”

“You’ve been miserable and indecisive for weeks now. The Eren I know wouldn’t be holding back like this.”

“I’m not- I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Armin studied him as he scraped at the bowl. “Would you say you’re a coward, Eren?”

Eren’s jaw dropped, too startled to respond at first. He glanced back at Mikasa, and saw she looked just as surprised. “No?” He hazarded, finally.

“Right.” Armin nodded. “Apart from your unfortunate tendency to identify with your food a little too much, and the fact that you can barely even say the word ‘vampire’ out loud, you don’t usually hold back. In anything. And yet-” he shrugged, “When it comes to Levi, you’ve done nothing.”

“I don’t-”

“And, you know, I really just feel bad for Levi. It’s so sad.” And Armin sighed, sadly.

Eren knew bait when he heard it. Armin had a plan, and was leading Eren along some carefully laid out path. The surest way to not end up wherever Armin intended him to end up was to keep his mouth shut.

He tried, he really, really did.

He lasted maybe ten seconds. “What is?”

Blue eyes bland and innocent, Armin eyed Eren from around the edge of the spoon. “Hmmm?”

“Dammit, Armin-” Eren only just stopped himself from yelling. “What’s so sad?”

“Levi, I imagine.” Armin scraped a little more batter from the bowl. “All alone, on his birthday.”

Blindsided, Eren blinked. “His birthday?”

“It’s his birthday today. December 25th. And he’s all alone.”

“It’s not his birthday, I would have known.”

“Would you?” Armin licked the spoon one last time, and then set it, and the bowl, on the counter behind him. “That’s why he opens the studio on Christmas Day, because he hates being alone on his birthday. Or at least, he _usually_ opens the studio on his birthday.”

“What do you mean, usually?”

“Hanji told me that this year he was too distracted by a certain somebody to book the day up, so he only had a few clients this morning.” Armin glanced at the clock. “His last client probably left over an hour ago. I imagine he’s just sitting there, all alone and miserable, right about now. Hanji says he’s been wanting to ask you to spend the day with him for weeks now."

Eren didn’t hear the last sentence. He was already on his feet, tripping over the blankets as he started towards the door. “I have to go.”

Armin laughed. “Sure you do.”

Mikasa threw the pillow at his head. “About time, dumbass.”

It wasn’t until Eren pulled open the door and saw the light flooding the hallway that he remembered the sun. He looked back at his friends, eyes wide and desperate.

They grinned back at him, and for the first time he realized they were following him.

Armin was pushing his feet into his shoes. “Hanji has a van she borrowed from Erwin ready in the parking garage.” He pulled his coat from the rack by the door and pushed his arms into the sleeves. “The windows are all covered and sealed.”

“We figured we could cover you in black plastic bags or something. There’s a bunch of stuff ready in the van.” Mikasa grabbed an oversized coat and threw it over Eren’s head. “That should get you into the elevator, though.”

“Oh, good.” Clutching at the coat, Eren started into the hallway, and then paused again, glancing back at his friends. “Do you think I should bring the mop with me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BASICALLY the chapters get longer and longer as i write them, longer than I like to post at once, AND if I don't post complete bits I keep working on them and never move forward AND SO i wind up adding chapters to the thing
> 
> which is why there is ONE more chapter after this : )


	10. Chapter 10

Levi sat – slumped, really – on one of the couches in his waiting room, staring at the clock hanging above Eren’s desk, listening to the soft, slow tick of seconds passing by.

He’d never realized how obnoxiously loud the thing was before.

Gix was out, doing whatever bird things he did during the day. For the first time Levi found himself wishing he hadn’t been quite so thorough when he’d soundproofed the walls of his building - even the noise of the street outside would have been welcome right about now.

Too much more of this quiet and he’d probably have to invite Hanji over.

No distractions let his mind wander, and his mind wanted to wander in only one direction. That direction lay Eren and great, heaping masses of confusion.

It didn’t help that Levi hadn’t managed to get much sleep since Eren had run away. Even deep cleaning hadn’t made much of a dent in the fog blanketing Levi’s mind – mainly because Eren was somehow everywhere he looked.

This room, the studio, Levi’s darkroom, even the damn bathrooms. Eren had somehow managed to embed parts of himself into every inch of the building. Even Levi’s own small apartment – a place Eren had never even been in – wasn’t safe from him. Levi had escaped when he’d realized all he could think about was shit like - would Eren like the breakfast Levi had made? Would he appreciate the new shower Levi had just had installed? How would his skin look against the fresh white sheets Levi had made the bed with that morning?

With a muttered curse, Levi let his head drop against the back of the couch, staring up at the shadowed ceiling. He was so damn confused, and he couldn’t even figure out what was confusing him more – Eren’s feelings, his own feelings, or the possibility that Eren wasn’t actually human. 

His mind kept sticking on certain words, phrases when he tried to think it all through. Words like ‘vampire’. Phrases like ‘I kinda want to jump your bones’.

But over it all, laid into every thought, memory, and question in Levi’s mind, was that last clear as fuck image of Eren’s desperately pleading eyes as he’d stared at Levi, his face bloodless and terrified.

He’d looked so damn _hurt_ just before he’d cut and run, and Levi knew that somehow he was responsible for it, though he didn’t know what exactly he’d done – or what he hadn’t done.

If only he’d gone back to his studio instead of listening in on the rest of Eren’s conversation. Not because he didn’t want to know what he now knew, but because Eren clearly hadn’t been ready. Maybe if the kid had had a little longer to prepare he might have felt comfortable enough to actually tell Levi the whole story, rather than the bits and pieces Levi had overheard.

And maybe he wouldn’t have run away. 

But Levi had caught that note of distress in Eren’s voice as he’d been walking back to his studio, and had turned back with some faint idea of interrupting, getting Hanji to back off.

Groaning, Levi slung an arm over his eyes. Eren was a damn vampire. Or at the very least, Eren _thought_ he was a vampire. And so did Hanji, evidently, which – for all of Hanji’s varied eccentricities – was a pretty solid clue that Eren wasn’t imagining things.

Levi hadn’t really believed it, at first. Not entirely. He’d thought Eren might have been joking with Hanji, maybe in some strange attempt at deflecting her. But that horrified panic in Eren’s eyes when he’d realized Levi had overheard him had been so damn clear, and deep.

And suddenly Levi had known Eren hadn’t been joking.

He’d felt shock, of course, and a little unsteady, as if the ground beneath his feet had been holding still a second too long and had to rotate a little faster to catch up. He’d also felt some anger, because clearly Eren and Hanji had been hiding something important from him.

But he’d also felt as if everything might start making a little more sense.

Then Eren had run away, and any clarity Levi had thought he’d felt had gradually dissolved under the weight of unanswered questions.

At least he’d forgotten to dread his birthday. He’d essentially forgotten it until his first client had walked in that morning, and since he’d snapped and snarled his way through the few he’d had scheduled, ensuring all of them left a lot sooner than their allotted time, he was now alone again with another half day or so to get through before he could forget about it all over again.

Levi closed his eyes, let his arm fall to his side, and wondered if he was tired enough to finally get some sleep.

The door slammed open, and then shut.

Levi opened his eyes and found a dark, hulking… _something_ standing just inside the door. As he stared, he realized that the shape seemed to be made up of dozens of layers of coats, blankets, and what looked like black plastic trash bags, all piled on top of each other in the vague outline of a person.

Awkwardly, the creature raised its bulkily wrapped arms to pull off the blankets, hoods, and trash bags covering its head, peeling layers away until they revealed a familiar face.

 “Hi, Levi.” Eren smiled weakly at him. “Happy Birthday.”

\--

 

Levi was not talking. He wasn’t actually moving, either. In fact, he hadn’t really done much of anything apart from opening his eyes since Eren had walked in.

Both to give himself something to do, and because felt like he was being roasted alive, Eren started pulling off the many layers he, Mikasa, Armin, and Hanji had piled on to shield him from the sun for that last dash from the van into the building.

It wasn’t until he saw Levi’s eyes drop to his now uncovered hands that Eren realized he was smoking a little.

“Oh, sorry.” Eren moved further into the room, away from the narrow windows that bracketed the door. Luckily they weren’t at the right angle to let the sun stream directly into the room, and the upper windows were all painted black. The reflected glow had been enough that he’d gotten a little singed, but it wasn’t any worse than a regular, human sunburn.

At least that was what Armin said it would compare to. Eren had never actually had a human sunburn to compare it with, himself.

He realized Levi was still staring at the slight smokiness hovering around his skin, and flushed a little. “Sorry, it’s a sunny day, so...”  

Levi eyes lifted to his face, but the expression on his face didn’t change in the slightest.

It was like the scene in the bathroom all over again, only this time Eren couldn’t even pretend to read what Levi was thinking.

Sucking in a breath, Eren reached into the pocket of his hoodie, and pulled out the package he’d remembered to grab just before he’d been bundled down to the van they’d borrowed from Erwin. And why exactly Erwin had a van with a back half that had been completely sealed against all traces of sunlight, Eren really didn’t want to know.

Pushing that thought aside, Eren held the package out towards Levi. “It’s your Christmas present.” He watched Levi’s face carefully, _willing_ him to say something. “Um. It’s just some soap. Hand made. Apparently it all but takes your skin off. It’s not legal to sell, because it’s so strong, but I have a friend that smuggles it into the country.”

Levi might as well have been carved from the same soap, for all the reaction he gave.

Eren’s eyes dropped to the stupidly wrapped package in his hand. “I didn’t know it was your birthday. So I don’t have an official present for you.” He looked up at Levi, and couldn’t quite keep the slight waver from his voice. “Except, you know, me.” He tried for a grin as he spread his arms to the side. “Surprise.”

He thought Levi’s eyes might have widened at that, but he wasn’t sure because he suddenly realized he couldn’t look at him anymore. He let his gaze drop to the rug beneath his feet before he plowed on. “I mean, there’s the whole v-vampire thing. And I do really like you. In a romantic way, I mean. Also in a physical way. So uh-” Eren wished he could look up, but just couldn’t make himself lift his face. “I just didn’t want you to be alone for your birthday. So I came over. And I know you’re probably afraid of me but-“

“Who the fuck is afraid of you.”

The voice was far too close. Eren’s breath caught in his throat and his head shot up. He took a half step back when he realized Levi was standing barely a yard or so in front of him. He hadn’t even heard him get off the couch.

“Aren’t you?”

Levi took a step towards him, and then another. “No.”

“But you’re mad at me, right? Or- well, disgusted. You were definitely disgusted at least.”

Levi stopped, eyebrows lifting. “Disgusted? No, I’ve never been disgusted by you.”

“You weren’t?” The first waves of relief swept through Eren. “But I saw your expression, after you overheard that phone call.”

Levi frowned. “I don’t know what you thought you saw, but it wasn’t disgust.”

“Oh, ok.” Eren found himself relaxing a little, only to tense up when Levi took yet another deliberate step towards him. “Um. About the whole ‘drinking the blood of your clients’ thing-”

Levi was inches away now, his pale eyes boring up into Eren’s face. “I don’t care.”

“Oh.” And Eren couldn’t think of anything else to say, which was alright, because Levi had his arms wrapped around the back of Eren’s neck and was tugging his head down until he could take Eren’s mouth in a hard, dragging kiss.

When they stopped, a long minute later, Eren rested his forehead against Levi’s. “I really like you. I’m sorry. “

“Why?”

“Because I’ve been lying, and, uh, drinking from your customers.”

“They don’t seem to mind.”

“No.” Eren found himself distracted by Levi’s lips. They were a little redder than usual, swollen. “They usually don’t.”

Levi stared up at him, and then his eyebrows suddenly drew low in a deep scowl. “You sure you like me?”

Eren blinked at the sudden change of subject. “Yes, I like you.”

“Good.” Levi slipped his arms loose from around Eren’s neck, gripped his wrist firmly, and hauled him towards the sofa he’d been sitting on when Eren walked in. “Then let’s do this.”

“Do what-” Eren’s breath wooshed out when Levi pushed him down to sit on the couch. “Levi?”

“I’m making it so you can’t run away so easily. I need some answers.”

“Oh.” Was all Eren could manage as Levi climbed onto his lap, straddling him. “I’m not planning on running, though.”

“I’m not taking any chances.”

For some reason, the sight of the scowl still on Levi’s face was filling Eren’s chest feel with a happy warmth. He found himself grinning as Levi settled firmly onto his lap, and he draped his arms over Levi’s broad shoulders. “I’m sorry for running away. I won’t do it again, I promise.”

“See that you don’t.” But the scowl was fading, and there was soft expression in Levi’s eyes as he looked at Eren. “Next time, I’m coming after you.”

“Okay.” Eren wanted to kiss Levi’s firm mouth, and the happiness in his chest grew as he realized that there was nothing to keep him from actually doing it. So he leaned forward, laid his mouth over Levi’s, and kissed him.

It was just like he’d imagined, only he hadn’t imagined how it would feel to run his fingertips over the slight bristle of Levi’s chin, or the electric heat that would shoot through his entire body as Levi’s hands tightened in his hair.

It was a long while later before he pulled away, chest heaving as he buried his face in the nook between Levi’s neck and chest. “I guess I’ve got some explaining to do.”

“Yeah. But not just yet.” Levi rained a line of kisses down the side of Eren’s face.

“Okay.” Eren almost let it drop, but dimly, he remembered the promise Hanji had insisted he make. “There is one thing I should tell you, kind of important.”

“What is it?” The wary expression on Levi’s face, as he pulled a little away, almost made Eren lose his composure.

“You’re ok with vampires, right?”

“Evidently.”

“How do you feel about werewolve/vampire hybrids?”

“What?” Levi stared at him, fresh shock on his face. “You’re a werewolf, too?”

Eren couldn’t keep the laugh from bubbling up. “No.” He tightened his arms around Levi as he grinned up at him. He couldn’t wait to tell Hanji how well her suggestion had worked. “But I got you good.”

Slowly, Levi’s lips curved. “Yeah. You got me.” He smiled softly, beautifully, down at Eren. “But I got you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's done! 
> 
> I very much enjoyed writing this one, thank you SO MUCH all for reading, commenting, leaving kudos, reblogging, and all that good stuff :)


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